idontwanttothanks

So far no word, but the assumption right now is that it will be on both, since the first one was and since it's an MBS drama.

Sure! The free version on youtube leaves a *lot* out - I usually watch that day of and then wait for the Iqiyi version to show up on dramacool since I already have far too many subscriptions and just can't add another one.

There are two youtube versions - the on that you pay for is uncut, the other is not.

I enjoyed it a lot! I thought Win would be the one to say something first (and I guess in a way he did with the song - singing your feelings, a tried and true staple that I am not fond of, I admit. The second I saw that guitar though I braced myself and it could have been worse. And I got a chuckle out of Win calling out how off key Team was), but I'm glad it was Team instead. How's that for bravery? I also really liked him pointing out all the ways that Win takes care of others, and admitting his insecurities about not knowing Win as well as Win knows him/not taking care of him as well (although I don't think that's really true - Team clearly relished being able to take care of Win when he was sick, for one thing).

I am happy that we're only getting angst from one couple, and also that it's the couple I'm most interested in aside from Win/Team. Now that those two are all settled (no really I thought they were super adorable once they got it together, I hope for more of that next ep please) I can enjoy the drama coming from the Gamer Boys, which is as it should be, ha.

For me, this ep and episode 6 were the best of the series thus far. I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute. Well, okay. Maybe not the singing. :p

You'd think so, but people are weird.

Literally all I wanted from this drama was the "does he love me or is he just protecting me (and my heart)?" trope, perhaps with a side of "what if he only wants me because I'm the only one who's there?" from Palm. I am getting the first and I love it so much.

Well. Okay. I also want more Perth. Chopper is still my fave, sorry. But that's pretty much it.

I am jazzed and also confused and a tiny bit worried, ha.

If the trailer for the movie follows the second book (which it definitely seemed to), what the what is the 2nd season gonna be about.? Is it gonna be its own thing?

And are they gonna do the thing where they break them up at the end of the season and then I have to go quietly insane while I wait for the movie to go out on streaming and then wait for some kind soul to sub it (assuming it doesn't wind up on Viki or Gaga, that is)?

But also my mind is a steady stream of AAAAAAAAAAAAH (in a good way).

I just kid of figured that they'd go the obvious route. Because Chopper would be - considering his dad pushing him constantly and his painfully obvious, unrequited crush on Ben, I assumed that he would wind up going dark eventually. But I will he so happy to be proven wrong, because he has been so lovely so far and I don't want to lose that.

With the caveat that I have never seen UWMA and so have zero attachment to any of these characters or ideas about their relationship beyond this show, and keeping in mind that I really love a good mess... I liked it. Maybe because I too have been so afraid of losing something that I haven't held on properly.

To me, Win's hesitation makes sense. What is he supposed to say, that no, if Team gets tired of him he can't go, too late, you've bought it now there are no refunds?

Since I'm not taking the previous show into account, the constant one step forward, two back thing seems painfully real for two people who have a hard time communicating and all and also don't communicate the same way. Especially from two people who have so much baggage surrounding love and whether or not they can hold onto it (Win) or deserve it at all (Team). Although I do hope this particular miscommunication gets resolved quickly.

See, I definitely got the feeling that it was just his dad that he didn't want to know. Ben's pretty popular at school, doesn't seem to have any enemies. It probably just didn't occur to him that *Nueng* does, or that anyone would be that vindictive and cruel. I forgive it because he's a teenage boy with a crush and probably isn't thinking that far beyond that.

I totally agree that Nueng wanted to want Ben more than anything. I am very curious to see how he's gonna act with Palm now, because I agree too that Palm, he *does* want. He's already infinitely more flirty with him and finds basically any excuse to get up in his space, but there's also the whole issue of Nueng literally being his boss. Still, I don't want him as passive as he was with Ben.

The outing was extremely cruel, and I do think that it's more an attack on Nueng than Ben for sure. I assumed Chopper because that would be the obvious route, but I never liked it (makes no sense for how he's been acting this entire time) and I'm becoming more and more hopeful that it isn't going to be him. I hope we find out who it was soon though, and that they get some sort of comeuppance.

I mean, sure, but he probably wasn't thinking. I can't really fault him for that, either, because I've seen much older people do similar when they really should know better. Sometimes people just don't consider every possible consequence of their actions. Also to be fair to Ben it was a fairly secluded area and he thought they were alone. Unless they literally go into a closet that's true of pretty much anywhere they could meet.

I am not trying to say Nueng's feelings matter less, here. I'm only saying that I empathize with Ben's situation and I do feel that a lot of people, sympathizing as they do with Nueng, are forgetting that Ben is a whole person too, with flaws and issues and pain of his own. Neither of them exist in a vacuum. Of course we're meant to see things more from Nueng's POV, I think, so that doesn't help. And I did not say that Tanya is nicer so Nueng should take the blame. Nor will I. In my opinion there is no "blame" that should be taken for the kiss itself, and the fact that the principal and Ben's dad clearly disagree grosses me out a little. What I *did* say was that Nueng's far more secure in his mom's love than Ben seems to be with his dad, and he he still wanted to hide his relationship, so I honestly don't get why people can't seem to get why Ben would be eager to keep it hidden as well.

Again, I wish Ben had stood up, but I can also see why he didn't. He'll pay for it in the loss of his relationship with Nueng, because despite Chopper's optimism I highly doubt he'll get another chance. We'll see if he pays for it in other ways.

I'm not excusing Ben's behavior, I just think that some people are being a bit over the top in their criticism of it.

Sure, but possibly not when your father is sitting there browbeating you into it.

The lack of empathy here is kind of stunning.

ETA: Like I didn't even really warm up to Ben until ep 4, but I really felt for him in that scene. It seems fairly clear to me that the last thing that he wants to do is throw Nueng under the bus, and yes, I do agree that the fact that he did that was cowardly, but I can also understand it. I think it's grand that so many people here are so sure they would never, but the reality of his situation and his personality is different. And as for saying that he never should have started something if he couldn't be out...that's bugging me a lot. There are many many reasons for queer people not to be out, and I dislike the idea that that means that relationships should be closed to them. I really don't think either Ben or Nueng expected to be outed like this, and Nueng clearly has an entirely different relationship with his mom than Ben does with his dad and he was *still* hesitant about her finding out.

To be clear I don't think Ben was in the right. But I don't think he's exactly the worst person in this scenario, either.

Perth: Deep down, Chopper is very kind.

Me: So that means he *didn't* out Ben and Nueng, right???

I didn't like it, thought it was inevitable, but more and more I'm thinking that my kneejerk "of course Chopper is the villain of the piece" is wrong, and I couldn't be more pleased about it. (why yes Chopper is my favorite how did you know?)

Does Japan do workshopping for this kind of thing? If not, they should.

My problem is that I don't just find the chemistry uneven - I'm used to that with JBLs, as with most of them I usually feel that the chemistry is uneven - it's that I'm getting equal amounts of negative chemistry. But then I worry I'm not being fair, because this came on the heels of my favorite drama of the year. I just don't know.

YES GOOD. That was my biggest hope.

No, you are not. it's one of my must watches.

I think it's probably Chopper and I really hate it - he was so lovely in episode 4, encouraging Ben even though it was visibly breaking his heart, and he's low key my favorite and while I am not against the idea of him going bad, I am against him doing it this quickly. I hope I'm wrong - I don't actually think that his reaction when Ben said he'd find who it was and make them pay (lol, Ben, I actually kind of like you now but we all know that isn't gonna happen) was all that suspicious. Also the music didn't change, and that's usually the biggest clue, especially since this drama hasn't been subtle so far.

I am clinging onto my denial until the bitter end, is what I'm saying.

Oh trust me, I noticed. I also noticed how floored he looked after - I wish we'd have gotten the aftermath of the Ben kiss for comparison. :D

I'm not saying that the writing of this show is particularly tight or that the plot makes any real sense.

I'm just saying I love it. I do think that the chemistry between Palm and Nueng is very, very good, and I kind of want Ben to start looking at Chopper so I can determine what I think about theirs. I already know Perth can pine like a champ, guys, I want to see what he and Chimon can do together.

As for the kisses, I do think that Nueng is still stiff, but now I believe more than ever that the awkwardness of the kiss with Ben *was* mostly supposed to be down to Nueng not really wanting him so much as he wants to be wanted. Stiff or not, he was definitely pushing into the kiss with Palm where with Ben he looked about half a second away from bolting the entire time. And Palm, my boy, just went straight in and I love that. But now I want a lot of conflicted feelings - Palm because he thinks he is just a getting over Ben replacement and Nueng because he thinks that Palm is just doing his job. What's the point of giving me a bodyguard story if I can't get a little "he doesn't really want me he's just taking the protection thing way too seriously" angst along with it?

ETA I still really hate that it's probably going to be Chopper that did the thing, but I will still love him because Perth. But ugh.

He tried keeping silent and his dad kept going (also there was something about the way he clapped his hand on Ben's shoulder that makes me feel like there was an implied threat there. Could just be me reaching but it did not give me good vibes) - it's pretty clear to me that he feels backed into a wall and he doesn't actually *want* to throw Nueng under the bus - it's cowardly, sure, but I think it's also understandable.

For me this and last episode humanized Ben in a way where I now kind of like him. Still don't like him for *Nueng*, mind, but I like him.